2007 Acura TSX Review

Well-Rounded Applicant

In
short: A tight-handling,
entry-level sports sedan with great value.

Think
of the TSX as your ideal “well-rounded” college
applicant. There might be cars that are faster, more luxurious,
get better fuel economy, handle better and come with a lower
price tag than the Acura TSX, but a scant few (if any) offer
this sports sedan’s brilliant mix of all those attributes.
It is a jack-of-all-trades that succeeds in practically every
important car category, from offering a spacious cabin to
being able to carve through a canyon road with its razor-sharp
steering.

Although
the TSX is Acura’s
entry-level model, it nonetheless comes loaded with most of
the features luxury buyers are looking for. Included are leather,
heated power front seats, Bluetooth connectivity, a six-CD
changer with XM satellite radio and mp3 jack, and an optional
voice-activated touchscreen navigation system that is one
of the best in the business. These features are easy to use
and are integrated into an interior constructed from top quality
materials that, while not quite up to Lexus
IS standards, is still superb for the price.

Power
comes from a 205-horsepower four-cylinder engine mated to
a 5-speed automatic or slick-shifting 6-speed manual. It lacks
low-end torque and can feel sluggish initially, but once you
start zinging the free-revving VTEC motor up to its 7500 rpm
redline, the TSX has plenty of giddy-up. The four-cylinder
also returns an impressive 30 mpg on the highway, versus the
22 mpg we observed in the V6-powered Acura
TL.

The
TSX can be compared to cars ranging from the Volkswagen Jetta
GLI and Volvo S40 to luxury models like the TL, IS
250 or even the BMW
328i. Before settling on any of these, make sure you check
out this excellent, well-rounded Acura—you
might be surprised.